■128 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



( May 23, 1872. 



kept nsav th.^ glass, removing the lights entirely in fine \ve;ithor. 

 Ths plants may be winterecl in a cold frame, with the pots 

 plunged in some light material — uoeoa-uut fibre refuse is cue 

 of the best materials for this purpose — or they may be kept iu 

 a heated pit. When they are throwing up their iiower-spikes 

 give plenty of ah', which is necessary to prevent the flower- 

 stalks from being drawn up weakly. 



Primula japonioa is one of the most robust-growing of its 

 race, and those who are successful in growing ordinary Prim- 

 roses will flud no difficulty in managing this. 



The few remarks on culture which I have ventured to make 

 may be of use to those who have not the benefit of a large 

 experience.— J. Douglas. 



WATER IN A COVERED CEMENTED TANK. 



lliviNV just had a small tank constructed for rain water, I 

 read Mr. Fish's letter ou the subject in your' last number 

 with much interest. My tank is covered up and must remain 

 so, but the water is hard, as his letter seems to indicate that it 

 will be. Can he say whether there is any other cm'e for rain 

 water becoming hard in a brick and cement tank than that which 

 ho suggests, and which I cannot adopt — namely, making it an 

 ni)en tank? For instance, suppose the tank were emptied, 

 dried, and painted over with three or four coats of paint, would 

 that prevent the cement affecting the water ? — D. Y. 

 .'» [I have Uttle faitli in the painting of a cement tank when dry, 

 fio as to hitve the water in the tank soft. We would have more 

 faith iu a lead-hned tank. I have not sufficiently proved a 

 suggestion made to us of having a cement tank lined with 

 plaster of Paris. I intend experimentally to prove it again, as 

 iu some cases the plaster adhered badly, and in other cases I 

 did not find that the quality as respects the softness of the 

 water was improved. 



As your correspondent says, there is no difficulty with an 

 open tank — the water will be delieiously soft. 



In a close tanl<, as one buUt in the chcular, or egg, or any 

 other shape, with an opening at top, covered with a stone 

 or board, if there is an opening even from 1 to 2 inches 

 under the covering the water will be softer. It more than 

 an inch tlierc should be a rim round of fine wire or perforated 

 zhic to let the ah in, and keep mice, rats, Ac, out, as a 

 few of such luckless intruders Would injure the water. In 

 closed tanks where it would not be advisable to give the air 

 under the covering referred to^n such tanks with two filters 

 the watei- wUl be dehghtfuUy clear- and sparkling Ukc well 

 water, but it will be all the harder. I hardly Uke to say it, but 

 it is the f;ict, that the more rain water is filtered through stones 

 and gravel, &e., before it enters a close cement tank, the harder 

 the water will be. For mere garden purposes water taken at 

 once from roofs, etc., to a cement tank, even if shut, will be 

 much softer- than the same water taken through several filters. 

 It may not alway.s be so clear-, but it will be soft. Such tanks 

 with the water unfiltered wiU be generally soft cuoukIi, even if 

 enclosed after the first twelvemonth. I mention this as to the 

 filtering with some little hesitation, though (luitc certain my- 

 self as to the results. Be assured, that the more you filter 

 water that goes into a cement tank the clearer it wall be, but 

 the harder also it will be. Where water from such causes is 

 extra hard, a Uttle quicklime or carbonate of soda will do 

 much to soften it, but the simplest remedy is exposure in a 

 tub or basin to the air some hours before using it. We have 

 a taulj made with cement, closed over, not cleaned out for 

 thirty years, and the water is, after the first twelvemonth I 

 beheve, nice and soft for culinar-y and laundry purposes, but 

 there are no filters. As the matter is wi-ung from ua as it 

 were, I say, not from theory but from practical experience. For 

 deai-nesa of water use filters ; in cement tanks covered over, 

 and where softness of water is an object, dispense w-ith filters, 

 and aUo-w the water to clear itself by sediment.— E. F.] 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 The fu-st part has just appeared of the long-expected 

 " Flok.\ or BErrrsH India," by Dr. .J. D. Hooker, published 

 under the authority of the Secretary of State for India m 

 Council. The territory included in the "Flora" is that com- 

 prised within the British-territories iu India (including the Malay 

 peninsula and the Andaman Isles), together with Kashmir and 

 Western Tibet, but exclmling Affghauistan and Eeluchistan, 

 the plants of -n-hich countries are included in Boissier's " Flora 



OrieutaUs," and belong to quite another botanical region^that 

 of Western Asia. Of the 12,000 to 14,000 species of flowering 

 plants and Ferns belonging to British Indian botany, not a 

 twelfth part has hitherto been brought together in any one 

 general work on Indian plants ; the description of the re- 

 mainder being scattered through innumerable British and 

 foreign jom-nals, or contained iu local floras or works on general 

 botany ; and a very large number being either vei-j- badly de- 

 scribed, or not at all. The work is, therefore, one of consider- 

 able laboiu' as well as importance. Dr. Hooker being assisted 

 in it by various other botanists. There are a lai-ge number of 

 new species described in this part ; and the natural orders in- 

 cluded in it are Eanunculacetc, DiUeniaceie, Magnohaceie, 

 Anonacea;, Menispermacese, Berberidea;, Nymphaeacefe, Papa- 

 veraceie,Capparidciu, EesedaceiE, Bixineie,'V'iolace£e, and Pitto- 

 sporejB, by Dr. Hooker and Dr. Thomson ; Ci-ucifer£e by Dr. 

 Hooker and Dr. Anderson ; FumariaceiB by Dr. Hooker; and 

 a part of Polygalefe by Mr. A. W. Bennett. — (Xature.) 



Low NiuHi- Tempebatcees. — We knew an old gardener, 



one of whose special proverbs was 



" When frosts come in May 

 There's the devil to pay." 



However, they have come this year, and we have not heard of 

 any special damage. Last week we were told of thoi-mometers 

 down to below 32° at night in Surrey, Wiltshire, and elsewhere ; 

 but the Potato foliage w-as untouched. Ou the night of the 

 19th in Yorkshire it was still colder, for we have a letter from 

 thence dated the 20th, from which we make the following ex- 

 tract : — " 0° frost last night, but I go on bedding-out, and my 

 plants have not suffered to speak of.'' Mr. Eobson, writing 

 from Linton Pai-k, Staplehurst, ou the 20th, says, " We have 

 ice this morning as thick as a shilling.-' 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



Peepaee ridges for Cucumhers by throwing out trenches 

 i feet -wide and 2 feet deep in light dry soil ; fill the trench 

 with fermenting material, such as leaves and litter that have 

 been iised for covering Vine borders during winter, short grass, 

 old tan — in fact any material that will afford a gentle heat ; 

 cover w-ith 1 foot of the soil thrown out of the trench, make 

 holes at the place each plant is to occupy, and put into each 

 hole about a barrov.load of fresh loam and old hotbed dung. 

 In this compost the plants may be put ; they must have 

 hand-lights placed over them, be shaded from the noonday 

 sun for a time, and be well attended to in regard to water, 

 air, i&c. Look after Celery in various stages ; see that it does 

 not suffer from want of water, and that the surface of the soil 

 do not become hard and caked ; when such is the case have it 

 stirred up at once. AspanKjus that has been planted this 

 season should be mulched with Winter Spinach, which is now 

 superseded by the spring-grown crops ; give abimdant water- 

 ings w-ith liquid manure, adding 2 ozs. of common salt to every 

 watering-pot full of the Uquid. By this means plants of one 

 year old from seed and planted in ordinan- soil, will next year 

 yield shoots 2 inches in circumference. It is, however, in- 

 judicious to cut it tUl the thh-d year. Prick out abundance of 

 the Broccoli and Cabbage tribe as they advance in the seed 

 beds, and shade for a time ; when thus treated the plants are 

 always better than when allowed to remain in the seed bed 

 tin wanted for final transplanting. Earth-up advancing crops 

 of Potatoes, and fork up the soil amongst those just making 

 then- appearance. Earth-up and stake Peas as they advance, 

 and sow succession crops of esteemed varieties. Sow succession 

 crops of Bicarf Kidneij Beans and Scarlet Fcuniters. Thin out 

 all advancing crops as soon as they are fit ; neglect in this 

 respect frequently does great injury, the plants become weak 

 and dra-wn, and never recover the ground they lose as com- 

 pared with those that have been attended to in proper time. 



FLO-iVEK GAEDEN. 



No-ft- is the tune to estabUsh a firm and even sward or la-mi, 

 the pride of British gardens. The roller and scythe -n-iU be iu 

 frequent request. See that all edgings hitherto neglected are 

 put in order for the summer ; do not cut-in beyond the ori- 

 ginal boundary, and keep the ivalks filled -with gravel. Let the 

 roller be passed frequently along the edges in order to level 

 them down to the walk ; this takes aw-ay the harshness of the 

 outUne. Proceed with filling the beds and borders ; the pre- 

 sent growing weather mil assist the plants in taking hold of 

 the soil w-ithout much attention. Stake or peg down plants 



